George Q. Flynn

George Q. Flynn, age 88, distinguished historian and beloved father, passed away peacefully on May 5, 2025, in St. Petersburg, Florida. He was predeceased by his wife, Mary R. Flynn, and is survived by his children Sean Flynn (Marija), Kathleen Flynn and Margaret Flynn Robison, and grandchildren Lillian Flynn, Carson Robison, Lucas Flynn, and Mariel Robison.

George's early life was shaped by two key events—first, playing basketball at Behrman Gym in New Orleans where he met the coach that led him out of the life of a young pool shark and school dropout in New Orleans' Irish Channel into college and eventually academia. Second was meeting Mary Ann Reising after a high school basketball game, which forever changed his direction in life for the better. He always felt unreasonably lucky to have married her and he remained devoted to her to the end.

George was a graduate of Loyola University and Louisiana State University, earning his PhD with the birth of his first child. Over 30 years as a professor, including over twenty at Texas Tech University, George became a leading historian of military conscription in the United States, writing five books which shaped the discourse on conscription and its role within democratic societies. His meticulous research and balanced analyses continue to serve as foundational resources for historians, policymakers, and students alike, illuminating the complex history of the draft, its policies, politics, and impact on western society. He remained a go-to interview whenever the draft came up in current news.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, George was known for his humor, intolerance of sanctimony, and a sometimes-infuriating fondness for the opposite sex, all of which consistently endeared him to so many who knew him. He was a man of integrity and depth, who found joy in meaningful conversation, learning, and the successes of those he loved. An early and abject failure at school, George eventually became a lifelong learner, largely teaching himself from books subjects such as math, statistics, and finance, as well as tennis, golf, and the piano.

He was intensely grateful to the people who enabled what he felt was a very lucky life—from family like his uncle Earl who was the closest thing he had to a father and his father-in-law who he thought was a saint for letting a rogue such as him marry Mary Ann, to the friends that welcomed him when he made St. Petersburg his final stop and the caregivers who helped him through his final years, to his wife whom he credited with everything good that happened along the way.

There will be a small funeral service for those local to St. Petersburg on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Paul’s Catholic Church. The family will hold the interment and main celebration of life one month later on Saturday, July 5, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in George's memory to the Mary Reising and George Q. Flynn Scholarship at Loyola University New Orleans.